School Raze: Lessons of Friendship
School Raze: Lessons of Friendship (School Raze: Lessons for a Master in other media) is the eleventh episode of Season 9: Hunted of LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Masters of Friendship, and 138th episode overall. It is the first part of a two-part season finale. The episode is based on LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu episode, Lessons for a Master, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic episode, School Raze - Part 1. In this first part, the magic of Equestria mysteriously begins to fail, and Starlight Glimmer leads her friends on a quest for answers, leaving the School of Friendship open to attack from a dangerous mastermind. When Iron Baron forces Wu to retrieve the Dragon Armor, things don't go as planned. In Ninjago, Lloyd can only endure so much as he holds onto hope for the Ninjas' return. Plot How lessons have learned for a student This episode begins with a flashback on how Twilight Sparkle earns her cutie mark. She was enthralled by magic and Princess Celestia as a filly, and excited when her parents enrolled her in Celestia's school for gifted unicorns. She had not expected an entrance exam, which required her to hatch an egg using magic, and could not do so. When a sudden explosion occurred outside, an uncontrollable surge of power through her horn hatched the egg (which proved to contain the baby dragon Spike) and caused several bizarre side effects that Celestia quickly reversed. Welcoming Twilight into the school, Celestia offered to be her mentor so she could learn to harness her raw magical ability. As Twilight celebrated, Celestia pointed out that she had earned her cutie mark. A field trip gone awry At the School of Friendship, Cozy Glow receives mail from a mail delivery pony, gives a new student directions to class, and helps Silverstream with a crossword puzzle. Due to her advancements in the curriculum and constant help around the school, Cozy has been appointed as Starlight Glimmer's personal friendship assistant. When Cozy brings the mail to Starlight in her office, Starlight realizes she's late to chaperone the students' field trip to Cloudsdale, but Cozy says she got Rainbow Dash to fill in for her. She had even taken the initiative to plan out Starlight's schedule for the day and catalog all of the school's magical artifacts, and Starlight is both impressed and grateful. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash shows the students the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, but the students are more fascinated by being able to walk on clouds thanks to ????'s magic. Just then, Yona falls through the clouds and plummets toward the ground. When ????'s magic suddenly fails, she and the other non-winged creatures in the group start falling as well. Rainbow Dash and her fellow winged creatures fly down to save them, and ???? has no explanation for why her magic suddenly stopped working. The vanishing magic mystery Rainbow returns to the school and inform Starlight of what happened. Starlight discovers her own magic starting to fail when she tries levitating a book, and when Fluttershy and Rarity arrive, Rarity reveals that her magic is completely gone. Cozy Glow recalls learning about a creature that devours magic—Lord Tirek—but the other ponies say he is locked up inside Tartarus. Spike enters and coughs up a letter from Noble, summoning Starlight and her friends to an emergency meeting in Ninjago. At Kryptarium Prison, Noble explains that multiple reports are emerging about ponies' magic suddenly failing, and on similar incidents in the Crystal Empire. A messenger pony delivers a letter from Star Swirl the Bearded, in which Star Swirl says that magic is disappearing from Equestria and estimated to be completely gone in three days. Twilight's friends volunteer to go to Tartarus to see if Tirek has escaped or masterminded the crisis from behind bars. While she and her friends travel to Tartarus, Starlight is left in charge of the school. Cozy Glow questions this decision after the last time Starlight was left in charge, but she is confident in her ability and asks Cozy to assist her. Cozy eagerly accepts this task and takes the remaining Mane Five to plan out her schedule as temporary headmare. The revenge for the Resistance Enraged by Harumi's death, the Overlord unleashes the Colossus on Lloyd and his allies. Along with Nya, Dareth, and an unconscious Skylor, they flee to the rooftop of another building and regroup in the streets below. As the Colossus wreaks havoc, Nya and Dareth propose leaving the city until things calm down, which Lloyd refuses to do by any means. They come to an agreement to acquire the Battlewagon and remain in the city until the Ninja return. Headmare Cozy Glow The next morning, Cozy Glow addresses the school students and assumes the role and responsibilities of temporary headmare. When asked why Starlight isn't in charge as announced, she explains that someone left a note saying she went to help Starlight and the others on their mission and left Cozy in charge during their absence. When Smolder gets suspicious about Starlight's sudden departure, Cozy accuses her of not trusting her teachers enough and assigns her extra homework. The rest of the Young Six side with Smolder and demand that they be assigned extra homework as well. That evening, Sandbar overhears some students talking about what a great headmare Cozy Glow is, and he meets his friends in the school library for a homework party. Gallus is suspicious about Cozy Glow's efforts to get the students to like her, but Ocellus thinks she's just trying to keep everyone's minds off the disappearing magic. Just then, the Young Six notice Cozy Glow coming out of the floor grate that they discovered in What Lies Beneath, and they decide to see what she is truly up to. They follow Cozy Glow to the headmare's office, where Chancellor Neighsay sits in Twilight's chair. Fed up with Twilight neglecting the school to go on adventures and leaving a filly in charge, Neighsay decides to step in as the new principal, much to Cozy Glow's annoyance. Believing the non-pony students are responsible for the disappearing magic, Neighsay declares the school to be for ponies only so that they can unite against outside threats. Welcome to Tartarus Elsewhere, the Mane Five are traveling to Tartarus without magic to shield them from bugs and rainfall, or keep their snacks from spoiling. Applejack provides her friends with apple balm to ward off the bugs, Fluttershy finds a blueberry bush, and Rainbow Dash gathers some clouds together to protect them from the rain. When they reach the gates of Tartarus, Rarity notices the seal is still intact, meaning Tirek has not escaped. However, she is unable to open the doors without her unicorn magic. Luckily, Spike finds an object that Cozy Glow packed for them: the Key of Unfettered Entrance, the magic of which can open any door. Rarity uses the Key to open the way into Tartarus, but it shatters as soon as it is used. Inside, the ponies find several creatures in cages—including a cockatrice—all of whom have lost their magical abilities as a result of the disappearing magic. They run into the Tartarus guardian Cerberus, and Fluttershy convinces him to let them pass and talk to Tirek. The Mane Six approach Tirek in his cage and accuse him of being involved in Equestria's magic crisis. Tirek denies having any involvement in such a wasteful scheme, but he offers to give the ponies more information in exchange for his freedom. Rainbow Dash points out that even if they release Tirek, there's no escape from Tartarus without any magic. The ponies realize they are all trapped in Tartarus, and Tirek is satisfied that his "little protege" helped him carry out his revenge. When asked about this, he explains that he and his accomplice have never met face-to-face, communicating only through letters, and that he told his accomplice how to drain Equestria's magic. With all of them trapped together with no means of escape, Tirek decides to reveal his accomplice's identity. There's more to life than surviving In the Realm of Oni and Dragons, the Ninja, the princesses and Faith remain tied up on posts, while the Dragon Hunters argue about their current predicament. In the meantime, Iron Baron forces Wu to guide him to Firstbourne's Nest. Their treacherous journey takes them across an unstable stone bridge; when it gives way and Iron Baron falls, Wu catches him, though Baron disregards the life-saving gesture. As Faith, the Ninja and the princesses attempt to escape with a song, the Dragon Hunters intervene, and free them instead. Infuriated with Iron Baron, they decide to turn against him and ally with the Ninja if they think they can stop Iron Baron. They later reach the collapsed bridge that Wu and Iron Baron previously broke, coming to the conclusion that it's too late. In Ninjago City, the remaining Resistance members attempt to flee the area, but they're confronted Ultra Violet, who had been thrown across the city by the Colossus. Nya stays to fight her as the group heads off. Ultra Violet drops a car on Nya and hurts her shoulder, but before Ultra Violet can finish her off, Lloyd crashes the Battlewagon into Ultra Violet, destroying the Mask of Hatred and dazing her. Before they can leave, the Sons of the Overlord arrive and engage the group in combat. Heart of darkness Neighsay and Cozy Glow catch the Young Six spying on them outside Twilight's office door, and Neighsay uses his magic medallion to tie them up in chains. As punishment for their alleged crime of stealing Equestria's magic, Neighsay decides to contact their parents and guardians to take them home. Suddenly, Sandbar speaks up and sides with the Chancellor and his views, and his friends are shocked by his betrayal. Neighsay is pleased by Sandbar's change of heart and lets him go, and the two lock the rest of the Young Six inside the student dorms. Sandbar's betrayal turns out to be a ruse, however, and he goes to Sweet Apple Acres to get the help of Apple Bloom and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sandbar and the Crusaders track Cozy Glow into the catacombs under the school library and find an elaborate crystal chamber. Cozy Glow, who turns out to be Tirek's accomplice, suddenly emerges from the shadows. Sandbar and the Crusaders are shocked to discover that not only is she evil but also that she is the one responsible for stealing Equestria's magic. Under the belief that friendship is power and not magic, Cozy Glow intends to rule Equestria alongside the Overlord as the self-appointed "Empress of Friendship". Wu: The Dragon Master In the Realm of Oni and Dragons, Iron Baron and Wu arrive at Firstbourne's Nest, where they quickly find the fabled Dragon Armor. Iron Baron rushes to procure it, and just as he runs to it, Firstbourne awakens and roars at him. Baron hastily throws on the armor and commands Firstbourne to kill Wu - however, she doesn't respond. Wu reveals that of the many lessons he learned, Baron taught him to lie, and deceived him into thinking the armor controls Firstbourne. In actuality, Firstbourne trusted his father because of the goodness in him. Firstbourne turns on Baron, who throws off the armor, and he's encased in a mass of molten rock. Firstbourne then gives the armor to Wu, as the other dragons bow to the Son of the Spinjitzu Master. The Ninja, the princesses and Faith return to the other Dragon Hunters, as they shake their heads in defeat. Tremors begin to occur as Firstbourne emerges from her nest. The Dragon Hunters run away, but the Ninja spot Wu on Firstbourne's head. As he lands Firstbourne, the Ninja and the princesses run up to him and congratulate him. The Dragon Hunters are esteemed to learn of Baron's fate. Zane congratulates Wu on his efforts, and the Ninja and the princesses bow to the Dragon Master. Wu then thanks the Ninja for the lessons they taught him, before Cole remembers that they are needed back in Ninjago and Equestria. Zane asks if Firstbourne can take them home, and Firstbourne responds by summoning four Dragons, one for each Ninja and a Princess. Wu offers for Faith to return to Ninjago with them, but she opts to remain behind with the Hunters. However, she warns the Princesses about a dangerous mastermind, as she tries to steal all the magic and the Elemental powers and sent to another realm before sundown. She is also aware that Starlight Glimmer is captured in the vortex. The Ninja and the princesses were worried that their powers will be gone forever, so they have to get back to Ninjago and Equestria to resolve this, or else Cozy Glow will become the Empress of Friendship, alongside the Overlord. They board their respective Dragon, and together with Wu and the Firstbourne, they begin their departure from the First Realm. While up in the sky, Cole briefly reminisces about their old dragon flight adventures. After the Ninja and the princesses go into the portal, one of the Dragon Hunters asks where they're going, to which Faith proudly says that they're going to "Ninjago", pronouncing it correctly for the first time. The episode ends with the Ninja and the princesses travelling through the portal to Ninjago and Equestria. Cast *Applejack - Ashleigh Ball *Apple Bloom - Michelle Creber *Chew Toy - Scott McNeil *Cole - Kirby Morrow *Courier - Gavin Langelo *Cozy Glow - Sunni Westbrook *Daddy No Legs - Ian James Corlett *Dareth - Alan Marriott *Faith - Kathleen Barr *Fluttershy - Andrea Libman *Gallus - Gavin Langelo *Gayle Gossip - Kelly Sheridan *Iron Baron - Brian Dummnond *Jay - Michael Adamthwaite *Jet Jack - Rhona Rees *Kai - Vincent Tong *Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent *Muffins - Tabitha St. Germain *Muzzle - Brent Miller *Neighsay - Maurice LaMarche *Noble - Paul Dobson *Nya - Kelly Metzger *Ocellus - Devyn Dalton *Pinkie Pie - Andrea Libman *Pony Student 1 - Kelly Sheridan *Pony Student 2 - Cathy Weseluck *Pony Student 3 - Nicole Oliver *Princess Cadance - Britt McKillip *Princess Celestia - Nicole Oliver *Princess Luna - Tabitha St. Germain *Rainbow Dash - Ashleigh Ball *Rarity - Tabitha St. Germain *Sandbar - Vincent Tong *Scootaloo - Madeleine Peters *Silverstream - Lauren Jackson *Smolder - Shannon Chan-Kent *Spike - Cathy Weseluck *Starlight Glimmer - Kelly Sheridan *Sweetie Belle - Claire Corlett *The Overlord - Scott McNeil *Tirek - Mark Acheson *Twilight Sparkle - Tara Strong *Ultra Violet - Maggie Blue O'Hara *Wu - Paul Dobson *Yona - Katrina Salisbury *Zane - Brent Miller Song *Rise Up! (Reprise) *You'll Play Your Part (Reprise) Locations Visited *Equestria **Ponyville ***School of Friendship **Cloudsdale ***Weather Factory **Canterlot ***School of Gifted Unicorns (flashback) **Tartarus *Ninjago **Ninjago City *Realm of Oni and Dragons **Firstbourne's Nest **Portal to Ninjago Transcript School Raze: Lessons of Friendship (Transcript) Differences between this episode, a Ninjago episode "Lessons for a Master" and MLP episode, "School Raze - Part 1" *The Princesses attempt to sing the reprise version of You’ll Play Your Part, in order for them and the Ninja to escape. *The Mane Five are going Tartarus without Twilight, until the next episode. *Noble tells the Mane Six that magic is going to fail in both Ninjago and Equestria. *Before the Ninja and the princesses go back to their home realms, Faith warns them that Cozy Glow took the artifacts to suck up all the magic and the Elemental powers, and sent to another realm, with Starlight Glimmer. *Princess Cadance didn’t appear in the original MLP episode, although she was mentioned when she gave a report about the incident at the Crystal Empire. Trivia *The music that plays when the Firstbourne flies out of her nest is the original Dragons theme. For this season, Jay Vincent and Michael Kramer modified the original theme, but the music in that scene is the original, unaltered version. *This episode concludes the "First Realm" story arc, with Wu, the Ninja, and the Princesses heading home to Ninjago and Equestria. However, Cole, Zane, Jay, and Kai return to the First Realm in "Dragon Dropped" to babysit Chloe, who is later to be a student at the Academy of Spinjitzu. *It is revealed that the Dragon Armor doesn't actually control Firstbourne. She actually chose the First Spinjitzu Master to wear it and ride her because she sensed that he had a pure heart and goodness with him as she did with Wu. *The method the Ninja use in order to escape from the poles is the similar to the method Emmet used in The LEGO Movie so he can escape from Lord Business' lair. *Iron Baron is defeated in this episode, as he is encased in molten rock by Firstbourne but is shown alive. He will be free by a mysterious Oni in "The Beginning of the End: The Darkness Comes". *This is Tirek's first appearance since "Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2" outside of the alternate timeline. *This is first episode where the School of Friendship take place at night. *Cozy Glow is the third character in which the deception is revealed. The first is Krux and the second is Harumi. However, she has shown to be in a darker side to avenge the Young Six and betray Starlight Glimmer as an headmare (Dr. Saunders was primarily a traitor for Kai and Nya's parents, while Harumi is a traitor for Lloyd). *The artifacts from "Firstbourne" appears again in this episode, in order to create a vortex to trap Starlight Glimmer. *The scene in which the Mane Five interrogate Tirek in Tartarus is similar to Clarice Starling interrogating Hannibal Lecter in the 1988 novel/1991 film The Silence of the Lambs. Errors *The top of Borg Tower is undamaged despite being ruined in the previous episode. *When Iron Baron goes to retrieve the Dragon Armor, he picks up the mask plate, but in the next shot it's nowhere to be seen as he puts on the armor. However, when he commands Firstbourne to destroy Wu, he's wearing the mask. Baron then loses the mask for the rest of the scene, and it is never worn by him or Wu. *When Nya kicked Ultra Violet into a signpost, there was nothing on it, but when she uses it as a weapon, and charges at her with it, there was a sign on it. Gallery School_raze_Lessons_of_Friendship_Title_Card.png